Democrats eye transparency measures for presidential pardons

A new bill from Senate Democrats would require certain pardon recipients to file financial disclosure reports and would clamp down on clemency orders for people involved in investigations of the president or his allies.WASHINGTON (CN) — Senate Democrats are taking aim at the presidential pardon process with a new bill they say would clamp down on abuse of executive clemency by President Donald Trump.The proposed measure, unveiled Wednesday and obtained exclusively by Courthouse News, would among other things clarify that pardon abuse could be considered a bribe under federal law, and would stand up provisions designed to clamp down on presidents using pardons to shield certain individuals under government investigation.The Trump administration has on several occasions used its clemency authority to issue pardons for allies of the president and major donors to his reelection campaign. In 2025, Trump issued a sweeping, blanket pardon for everyone charged or convicted with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — a move widely seen as an endorsement of efforts to forcibly overturn the results of the 2020 election.The president in November issued a similar tranche of pardons for other people tied to his election denial efforts, including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, among others. Trump has also granted clemency to figures who donated large sums of money to his 2024 campaign, including Trevor Milton, founder of electric vehicle start-up Nikola who was convicted of fraud in 2022 but donated millions of dollars to Trump’s reelection effort.Now, lawmakers say Congress must take action to block the president and future chief executives from what they’ve framed as blatant self-dealing.The proposed Abuse of the Pardon Prevention Act, introduced by a group of Senate Democrats including Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, California Senator Adam Schiff and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, would require recipients of presidential pardons to file a financial disclosure report revealing gifts or other donations given to the president before or after receiving clemency.Among the gifts subject to a disclosure under the proposed pardon law are any contributions or donations toward a “construction or renovation entity” at the White House — language that appears aimed at private donors who the Trump administration has said are funding the ongoing ballroom construction project at the executive residence.The measure would also stand up new transparency requirements for pardons issued in connection with investigations into a president, his family or one of his political appointees. If the president issues such a pardon, the proposed law would require the Justice Department and the White House to turn over all records related to the pardon offense.Further, the proposed bill would amend federal bribery law to include language about pardon abuse. And the legislation would also bar presidents from pardoning themselves.Senate Democrats said that the new pardon guardrails would disincentivize presidents from using clemency to obstruct ongoing investigations or to reward political allies.“Time and time again, Donald Trump has proven he is only interested in using his power to benefit himself,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “His abuse of the presidential pardon power to inflame lies about the 2020 election, obstruct investigations into his own misconduct and enrich himself is unacceptable. I will continue to fight to bring the pardon process out of the dark and ensure no president can hide these corrupt abuses of power.Schiff said the proposed legislation “created a powerful check” on the Trump administration aimed at deterring pardon abuses.“President Trump’s pay-to-play pardon scheme rewards political allies and sells out justice to the highest bidder,” added Blumenthal. “When convicted criminals can escape punishment for the right price or by hiring the right people, it corrupts the justice system for everyone.”As of Wednesday morning, the proposed legislation had yet to be assigned to a Senate committee for debate. It’s unclear whether Republicans — who control both chambers of Congress — would be willing to support any measure that restricts Trump’s ability to issue presidential pardons.In addition to the roughly 1,500 pardons the president issued for Jan. 6 rioters, and the 77 additional clemency requests he granted in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Trump has signed more than a dozen other pardons. Former Representative George Santos, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley are all among the figures who have so far received clemency from the Trump administration.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads